Dynamically Shaping the Future
[Music]
the university of johannesbeck
has a great vision
and we talk about an international
university of choice
anchored in africa and dynamically
shaping the future
when i talk about dynamically shaping
the future
i therefore talk about
dynamically shaping the future through
real
parenting real
parenting i was raised in a township
called guatema in springs
raised by a grandmother who was a
matriarch
in the turkey family
my grandmother was blessed with 10
children and one of those was my mother
i never spent time with my mother
because my mother worked as a domestic
worker
she was blessed with four children and
i’m the last one of the four
being the last one of the four
i never saw her as i said i saw her only
on saturday mornings
and on sunday afternoon she would depart
and go back to her workplace
it was one special day during the week
when i came back from school
and i opened my grandmother’s bedroom
door
when i encountered my mother
she was standing in the bedroom she was
thin
she had lost weight she was not well she
was ill
and later that day she was fetched by an
ambulance
and that was the last time i saw my
mother
my grandmother raised me
she was strong she ordered she had an
amazing
amazing ability to discipline
us it was myself and my cousins
we grew up under
the rules of a disciplinarian we enjoyed
it
she was a decision maker she taught me a
simple lesson in life
of being a fast mover she taught me a
lesson of waking up early and ensuring
that i take advantage of opportunities
at the age of 15 my grandmother
died and i was left i was 15 years old
and i stayed with my uncle and my other
siblings
real parenting for me it’s not only
about
procreation it’s not about giving birth
and having children only
one most important lesson is
presence being present being there for
your children
i made it my responsibility
that when my two children wigan and
siamo were born
i was in the maternity ward i wanted to
be present
and i’ve done my best to continue to be
present
in their lives now when i talk about
presence i’m not talking about presence
as in gifts
i’m talking about you being there as a
parent
that’s real parenting
secondly it’s great
to be able to eyeball with your children
make sure that you look at your children
in the eye all the time and talk to them
offer them advice be that real parent
it is very very important
thirdly as parents
if you are fortunate to be married as a
husband and wife as partners
make sure that you do your children a
big favor
and respect each other your children
will realize that
there’s a healthy relationship at
and will grow comfortably understanding
that
the world is a better place when human
beings respect each other
it is important to wear your heart on
your sleeve
for your children it is very important
i always drive the principle
that when you love your children
yes there will be boundaries in loving
your children
but make sure that the love you have for
your children
is the love that will make sure that it
nurtures them
it builds them into better human beings
the biggest lesson for me i learned i
never had parents as i said
i was raised by a grandmother who in my
view
represented a father and a mother
because of her strength
because of the exemplary
life that she gave to me
the big lesson for me is good
citizenship when you are a real parents
you are raising
citizens they must be good citizens who
are going
to contribute to the betterment of
humanity
i’ve made it my life that i try my best
to be a better citizen
i made it my life that my children will
gany and siam
are raised to be better citizens
it is my dream it is my vision
that to complement the university of
china’s back vision of dynamically
shaping the future
real parenting must play an important
role
it is not only politicians
or those leaders in the world who
may fail the world but it is us
as parents who must make sure that we
become exemplary
and be real parents